On May 22, 2014, one year after the city of Buffalo, NY, passed its ordinance restricting employers’ inquiries into criminal history, its neighbor across the Niagara isthmus, Rochester, NY, enacted a similar “ban-the-box” law. Rochester’s legislation comes just one week after Baltimore, MD, enacted its own ban-the-box law, suggesting that the “ban-the-box movement” is maintaining its steam and that municipalities will remain key players in the movement. Now, a total of seven cities – Baltimore (MD), Buffalo (NY), Newark (NJ), Philadelphia (PA), Rochester (NY), Seattle (WA), and San Francisco (CA) – and four states – Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Rhode Island – have banned the box for private employers. Many other jurisdictions are considering such legislation for private employers and already have enacted such legislation for public employers and their vendors.
Home > Federal Law Articles > Human Resources > Background Checks > A Tale of Two Cities: Rochester Follows Buffalo to Ban the Box